David Wotherspoon insists St Johnstone won’t be taking their Europa League rivals Alashkert lightly.
The Perth midfielder trotted out a string of reasons why Saints will have to hit the ground running in next week’s first round qualifier.
Armenia might not be a footballing hotbed but their international side gave Portugal a scare in a recent European Championships qualifier, leaving them to rely on a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick to sneak a 3-2 win.
“It’s going to be tough wherever we go so when you add the travelling in it’s a hard tie,” he said.
“If you look at Armenia’s results at international level recently they’re clearly a country making good progress.
“They narrowly lost to Portugal a few weeks back and have also given a couple of other nations a scare.”
Wotherspoon, who will face Irish side Glenavon in a friendly on Wednesday in Lurgan, is the only Perth player to have experience of playing in Armenia.
And it wasn’t plain sailing for a Scottish youth team.
He recalled: “I played in Armenia with the Scotland u17s years ago. My biggest memory is that a few of the lads in the squad got ill while we were there because of the food. I don’t know exactly what it was that caused it but several of the squad were sick after we arrived.
“It was extremely hot during our time there and that will be the same again, so it will be tough to play in.
“But apart from the sickness and the heat, it was a lovely place.
“I remember going out for walks during the day and it was really nice, the scenery was great and the hotel good.
“In the end we got a draw, which was a decent result considering the sickness and the hot conditions.”
With temperatures soaring into the mid-30s in the capital Yerevan, manager Tommy Wright will have a game plan in mind.
Wotherspoon said: “The heat will be a big thing because we’re not used to it so we’ll have to listen to the doctors about rehydration and things like that.
“We’ll have to look at conserving our energy during the game so we can last the 90 minutes.
“The lads have had to deal with that in the past, though, during the trips to Turkey and Switzerland. This is likely to be hotter again so it will be just a case of trying to manage ourselves best we can.”
Despite the downsides, Wotherspoon is delighted to be back in Europe.
“People will think we’re favourites but that’s not something we will look into because I’m sure they’ll be a decent side.
“We will just focus on getting the job done over the two legs and hopefully getting to the next round.
“We would have preferred somewhere closer for the fans but that’s what happens when you’re in Europe.”
Determined fans have already bagged flights via Moscow.
After a few days at the training camp outside Belfast, Wotherspoon admits the Glenavon clash will give summer recruits John Sutton, Graeme Cummins, Joe Shaughnessy and Brad McKay a chance to make an impression.
“We have been back for over a week now so it’s good to have a game to top up the fitness levels.
“After only having three weeks off, the lads haven’t lost too much from last season. But the game against Glenavon will take us a step closer to where we need to be for next week.
“I’m sure the new boys will be desperate to get a chance to show what they can do, but it’s more about the fitness work than getting a result.”
Two of those new boys wasted no time in making an impact in a Saints jersey.
Striker John Sutton fired his new side into an early lead in a 2-1 closed doors win against fellow Europa League qualifiers Linfield at Windsor Park on Tuesday night.
And ex-Aberdeen full-back Joe Shaughnessy, playing alongside another debutant Brad McKay, tucked away the second before half-time.